The Dancer & the Fencer

Meet polytechnic student, Jazlyn Yeo, who wears many hats –  juggling part-time coaching alongside her academic pursuits and ballet commitments.

Written by: Avril Goh Xu’En

Photos courtesy of: Jaclyn Yeo

Yeo Siok Chin Jazlyn, a student pursuing a Diploma in Information Technology at Singapore Polytechnic, juggles multiple responsibilities. From coaching fencing to being a fencer and a ballet dancer, she has never once regretted this journey. 

Growing up, this 20-year-old has always taken interest in both dance and sports. . She realised early that she enjoyed Physical Education (PE) classes, and quickly learnt that she could pick up skills fast, particularly in sports. As her interest for sports peaked, she also took part in Chinese Dance as part of her co-curricular activity (CCA) in primary school.

The Pursuits of Ballet and Fencing 

At the same time, Jazlyn has participated in ballet classes outside of school. She discovered the world of ballet when she was four, and has been training once a week on Sunday afternoons ever since. Now, she’s enrolled in Dance Arts and trains at the intermediate grade.

When Jazlyn entered secondary school, she decided to join fencing out of interest. She diligently trained every Tuesday and Thursday for two hours, supplementing her training with one-to-one 45-minute sessions twice a week as part of her coach’s external club training. She also had the opportunity to engage in various competitions, from invitations to national school games. 

Her commitments in fencing led to her becoming the team captain, a role where she not only tended to the well-being of each team player and ensured training ran smoothly, but also handled administrative matters. 

In recognition of Jazlyn's achievements, her fencing coach approached her at the end of December 2020 to assist in coaching youths in small workshops at her club. Despite being only 17, her coach saw her potential and convinced her to start coaching officially.

“In each class, there will be fencers of different ages, personalities and skill levels. Thus, I will have to adapt accordingly. One method I use is using games as rewards, especially for the younger fencers.” 

Now, she coaches youths and adults every Saturday after her training. She plans her training sessions by focusing on her student’s technical, tactical, and physical aspects. 

Jazlyn coaching one of her students.

Synergy between Ballet and Fencing

Jazlyn emphasises that ballet and fencing has contributed to her personal growth, shaping her not only as an athlete but also as an individual. “Communication, confidence and resilience are a few. Whenever there are situations with setbacks, I find myself more resilient to face these challenges.” 

Adversities

Regardless of her achievements and highly driven personality, it is not all smooth sailing for her. “Time management is something I’m still learning along the way, “ she adds. Balancing academic responsibilities, leadership roles where her teammates and students regard her as a role model, and consistently training to improve in ballet and fencing is something she finds challenging due to the expectations she faces. 

Determining Priorities and Future Goals 

Aiming to be the top 15 foil fencer in Singapore, Jazlyn shares, “I will pursue, and prioritise one more than another.” While she wouldn’t completely give up ballet for fencing since both sports have played a role in shaping the person she is today, she sets specific goals for each —  joy and fulfilment in ballet and aspires to inspire more young fencers as a coach. 

“It will be difficult to manage both together, but it’s not impossible. Both have their advantages and even if I don’t pursue it in certain aspects, what matters more is that I am still enjoying it and having fun.”